With Skies, Like a Future
by PersonaOfBetrayal
Summary: With a past that reaches too high to overcome, and a future that looks too bleak to look forward to, the blond man with eyes so blue peered down. He saw an academy, a jewel of the kingdom of Bevelle, beckoning to him; yet the many shadows lingered at his feet. He must learn to reach higher, and perhaps...discover ancient deadly secrets long forgotten. HS, TxY, AU
1. One Point

**I: One Point**

He was rooted to the spot, blocking and obscuring the narrow detouring pathway of which he had tread across. The loosened mud lapped away at the soles of his yellow and black sneakers; crashing against the raised limestone bricks of the front courtyard, like violent tides breaching a coastal outlook. He poked his head out from the rows of vegetation, taking in the number of hovering vehicles entering and leaving; the barricades of other students talking amongst themselves; and the dizzying temple columns and drapes that curved around the main entrance of Bevelle's Yevonite Academy itself.

Hearing oncoming chattering noises coming from his left, he quickly retreated and shuffled backwards deeper into the trees. His efforts were wasted however, as the audible group of three men just about saw his black shorts and bronzed leg ruffling the hawthorn bushes. Slightly off put, they made faces at each other and walked away in silence. He sat up from his entangled position and sighed, looking towards the circular clay clock that was just noticeable through the gaps of the foliage.

Tidus Levia wasn't exactly your ordinary everyday college student; not even by a stretch. Not only was he able to get special permission to transfer to the kingdom of Bevelle, home to the most promising of persons, but he was the one and only son of Sir Jecht; the late 'Blitz King' and a former attendant of this very academy. In fact, Jecht wasn't just an attendant. He was a monument to this very school, the kingdom and pretty much the entirety of the Spiran Region, or so Tidus had heard. To be honest, he had no idea why or how his father had made such an impact. He thought that perhaps the only reason he was even invited to live in Bevelle was because he was the only breathing relative of the national idol.

Maybe that was why he was scared.

The clock, embedded into the brick just above the entrance, struck half-eight. The gleaming golden bell sheltered beneath the cramped tower rocked back and forth, chiming lowly and loudly. Tidus gulped and shook as he watched the clusters of people swarm into the main foyer. He couldn't hide anymore. It was either this, or miss his first day and get expelled automatically. Inhaling the fresh smell of the vegetation, he leapt forth from his crouching position and dashed out into the open.

"Hey! Watch it!"

"Oi…! Hold on, is he that-?"

"Hey, if it isn't Jecht's kid! Don't even try to best your father, all right? You never will!"

"Cut it out, man! Do you wanna make him cry?"

He scowled at his biographic name. He scowled at all the insults implemented towards him. But most of all, he scowled at the blatant comparisons to his father. It happened all the time throughout his social life, whether it was during school or his free time. Everyone around him pressured him, even prayed for him, to follow his father's footsteps and fingerprints. They didn't see an individual man, born by nature and living through life by his own accord. They saw a young rebirth of their deceased hero, who was created solely to grow and replace him in all aspects. They didn't exactly voice that in the nicest of ways, either. Perhaps that would explain the faded bruises and the very feint limp in his cycle.

As he entered the front hallway, he noticed an old oil painting of his father during his time here. Other students passed the observer, whispering and sniggering at him. Tidus breathed silently as he looked over the details. Really, how would he be able to even compare to him in the physical department? He looked absolutely nothing like his father! Unlike Jecht's long dusty locks as black as charcoal, Tidus instead sported golden strands with dark roots, the tips just barely touching the joints of his neck and collarbone. His rounded oceanic eyes were unlike his father's angular scorching ones. He looked over the details with mild sadness. With a smaller nose, thinner lips, pointier ears and a slightly weaker build, Tidus began to wonder if they were even of the same flesh and blood. The only thing the father and son really had in common was their deep skin tones, and that was only from them being under a warm tropical sun for most of their days.

Tidus could hear growing footsteps from behind him. Just as he turned to see who it was, they stopped. His sight met a blond haired man slightly shorter than him, with a tan somewhat deeper than his and strangely hypnotic green eyes. He was garbed in an unfamiliar yellow uniform and a brown collar with a circular emblem. The man smiled at him as he too looked towards the ancient portrait.

"He was an interesting man. I often saw him with his old friends as they messed about," he chuckled, his deep foreign accent coming through. "I guess the sea didn't completely favour him. His death was truly a shame."

"Yeah," Tidus muttered, a slight scoff accompanying his voice as he looked away. "And a shame it was…"

"Do try and look towards brighter days, Tidus," the man reassured, earning an exclamation. "Bad feelings don't come with good outcomes, after all."

"What? H-hey! How'd you know my-!?" Tidus stuttered, taking a moment to turn back to his occupier.

He was nowhere to be seen.

He held his surprise as it slowly slipped away, and his head started to swerve and scan the crammed rows of students. He had no luck finding a bright flash of yellow within the crowd, though.

'_Did I…imagine all that?' _Tidus pondered. When he realised what he was thinking, he simply laughed at himself. Maybe he was finally going insane with desperation, wanting just one conversation that wasn't completely berating him for his 'worthlessness', that he just made up one by himself.

'_He did seem pretty real, however…huh. Maybe I'm psychic,' _Tidus joked, walking away from the portrait with at least a small smile on his face. He intentionally avoided the more suspicious looking people of the lot, observing the opulate decorations and strange glyphs on the walls. Maybe it was the way they were sculpted, but the textures of the walls looked like they had some strange substance flowing through them. They were crinkled and had prolonged bumps in some areas. As Tidus was sucked into such a tiny detail, he didn't notice that a CommSphere system was right above him. Needless to say, the voice that blared from the tiny blue sphere didn't help his eardrums.

"_ATTENTION, MALE STUDENTS," _a croaky female voice pierced through all the other noises, leaving them void. "_WOULD YOU ALL PLEASE FILE THROUGH THE NORTHERN DOORWAYS? YOUR REGISTRATION TEST IS ABOUT TO BEGIN. ALL FEMALE STUDENTS WILL REMAIN HERE. I REPEAT…"_

"R-registration test!?" Tidus spat, his arms pushing against the wall. His blood ran cold in an instant as he watched the curious faces look towards the creaking mahogany doors, leading into a rather dim and fire lit auditorium. Group by group, they were guided in by robed sages, both young and old.

'_Nobody told me there was a…'_

'_Well, boy? Aren't ya gonna go in? Or are you gonna run away cryin', like I thought you would?'_

There was that voice. That damned voice. A horrible noise that would infest his dreams and chew them up for the rest of his days.

Trying his best to dispel the headache, Tidus slugged and slithered behind the crowd, melding with the tail. A chill ran down his spine as he entered the dungeons, mildly illuminated by flames of every warm and cold colour. A young guard stood by the doorframe as Tidus passed through, and began to inspect him. His slit eyes, hidden beneath his periwinkle shawl, sheened for a split moment before he let him pass. Tidus was guided along with a flurry of other followers, not even noticing that he was there, through a junction and into a damp misty room. He and they were instructed to sit down on a smooth granite chair, carved from the ground up, in front of a low rotting table adorned and reinforced by spiralling stone patterns. An elderly monk clothed in forest green walked their way, handing them ancient and stained parchments along with a dribbling cold ink pen. He grinned feebly as his beard tickled his face, and the rest of the section stayed silent.

"This test is anything but long," the monk smiled, giant crimson eyes refracting behind his full rimmed circular spectacles. "That's to say, it's the first of several. These are simply very basic questions on very basic topics, a challenge of thinly-veiled intellect and wisdom. I doubt students as bright as the many suns would have trouble with these. You did get into the Yevonite Academy of Bevelle, after all!"

An attempt at a mood lifter, cut short by uncertain faces and chattering teeth. The man's smile, barely visible behind his curly white beard, drooped at the columns of glares. Clearing his rattling throat, he spun and glided towards the open teak door.

"I'll just let you proceed," the mysterious cloaked man stopped just short of the damp hallway. "My name, just so you all know, is Maechen. Ancient Maechen, they call me."

As Maechen left, Tidus slowly turned back to his table and unrolled the thin sheet of papyrus. It was surprisingly short, and the questions were all heavily etched in, making them stand out. His hand reached out for the swivelling pen, feeling a slight sting as the frostbite hit him. He was lucky that he usually wore black leather gloves. Feeling slight remorse at the gasps of his other occupiers, he began to skim over the questions, twirling the white and blue pen between his fingers.

**I: What is the title given to a person who can call upon spiritual animals to aid them?**

**II: There is a position in which only up to four people can take within the Church of Yevon. What is the name of said position?**

**III: Name the aeon which controls the thunder and lightning.**

Tidus' eyes travelled over the rest before flying off the torn and burnt edges. Maechen was right; these questions looked incredibly simple, even with their formal format. However, he noticed that something stood out. Out of the entire pool, most of the questions seemed to be related to magic, and Yevon, the universal religion that countries everywhere adapted to. In fact...they were _all_ related. No questions on physical combat, none on sports, none even on machina studies. Tidus shivered, and his gut went uneasy.

'_I was never a religious guy. I never even prayed before in my life,' _Tidus grimaced as he began to fill in the starchy sheet. He could hear sniggering and immature antics through his ducked bundle of hair. He wondered if they were laughing at him for taking more time. '_Might as well do my best.'_

As soon as his pen slipped off the featherweight ends of the paper, it leapt upward and squeezed itself back into a roll, shimmering with a blue light that Tidus guessed was a barrier, because his hand kept on being repelled no matter how hard he tried to reach out to it. He looked upward to see pairs of amused glares, boring into him. It dawned on him that he was the last person to finish the test. The pressure that cursed him had once again made its attack…through undeserved humiliation and shame.

Just then, there was a hollow chime of a bell, and the armoured rolls suddenly burst into blue flames, completely throwing off some of the students that were still sneering at their little 'hero'. Maechen swung open the squeaking door, and smiled as he instructed them to follow his lead.

The next thing Tidus knew, he was in an enormous dome-shaped plaza in the centre of the dungeons. This was where he would perform the other tests. First, there was a defensive magic test, in which Tidus was mostly inept at. Next was the offensive magic test, which yielded the same verdict of the previous one; with the exception of Tidus being able to pull off some rather impressive water spells.

Friendly decisive combat came after, resulting in Tidus almost dominating the procedure with just a wooden sword; although he had to be disqualified after almost knocking someone out cold, much to his guilty amusement. When having to tame and capture fiends came along, the miniscule creatures scurried fearfully back into their cages; having witnessed his performance.

The sixth and final test had arrived, which required controlling a small cluster of pyreflies to take the form of a spirit with a life of its own. Although he didn't manage to summon anything; the pyreflies, he felt, were very attracted to him; unlike the ones occupying the other students which were more than likely trying to fly away. It wound up with him playing with the ethereal balls of light rather than trying to complete his task. It at least gave him a little comfort and confidence after his less-than-stellar performance overall.

After what seemed like hours of painful hard labour for the tested; an eerie choir, so soft and quiet, bellowed throughout the open chamber. As it sounded, the procedures suddenly halted, and the pyreflies immediately scuttled away from Tidus' open hand. As he and the other persons tried to figure out what was going on, a sudden blinding light, so white, shot out from a diminutive crease in the flat part of the roof. Two streams of energy beamed down on them, then four, then eight, then a whole halo of light veiled the otherwise cold and damp dungeons. People gasped and whimpered; the roof was descending.

When the light had died away, Tidus snapped free from his blindness and looked all around him. The first thing he noticed was that the dungeons were lit with morning light, navy blue mist shrouding the walls and condensing into dewdrops. He then noticed that the other students weren't making an ounce of audible noise, but rather gawking and gaping at the sight right in front of them. It was then he noticed that there was a platform in the centre of the room. It was then he noticed that there was an elderly man dressed in formal Yevonite robes on the platform, protected by two mages.

"It…it can't be…!"

"That's him! That's really him!"

"G-Grandmaester Mika!?"

Murmurs of excitement broke out through the crowd. Even the teachers seemed shocked that such a high authority figure had interrupted their traditions so suddenly. The two mages dispelled their magical barrier and allowed Mika to proceed from the glowing platform, still keeping close behind him. His long black cloak draped behind him as everyone backed away from him with respect. Tidus didn't seem to catch on as quickly, and swiftly leapt back before anybody could snort at him. Even so, the way Tidus looked at the maester wasn't one of fear and praise, but rather a sense of déjà vu.

He had seen that white sigil, embedded on Mika's robes, in multiple places around Bevelle. Nobody bothered to explain its purpose to him…but something about that white eye made his spine shiver.

"Salutations, children of Bevelle," Mika greeted, bringing his arms around to form a circle, bowing in the procedure. Tidus had to take a double on what he just did. That gesture, that supposed prayer…he had to try in order to suppress his laughter. He never had thought of an old man making that sign.

"I must apologize for my abrupt interruption, seeing as you were all so drawn into that last test by the loud sounds of it. Well…at least, most of you were."

Tidus scowled under his breath. He didn't like this crump's tone.

"L-Lord Mika, if I may…" One of the advisors from the back of the bewildered crowd feebly pushed past a few large individuals. Tidus must admit, he did feel a little offended when he found out that these advisors were all over the place, especially when this particular one was just begging for him to come over and get lectured on the most basic things.

"You must want to know why I have come to this little academy, yes?" Mika smiled, his long stringy beard lifting upwards. "Do you not remember? This term is my fiftieth anniversary as Grandmaester, the head of the Yevonite council; the crown of the kingdom of Bevelle; the cloak of the Spiran Region…"

"I…I understand, my Lord," the advisor stumbled, lowering his head like a punished child.

"Oh, so you must understand the reason why I arrived here, and not just what my title means? You must be a very adept clairvoyant, or you simply just don't have a sense of timing, hum?"

All right, he _really_ didn't like his tone. What's worse is that most were actually laughing with the Grandmaester. Tidus felt terrible for the young man in navy robes, as his face burnt red and he retreated back into the shadows. If looks could kill, Tidus would be arrested for massacre.

"Now where was I, before that who so rudely interrupted me? Hmm, I must apologise for my hypocrisy there," Mika mumbled, his aging voice toppling back and forth in terms of volume. "Ahh, well…you must feel honoured to be bound an education in just one of the finest schools in the entire world! And…though it may be fifty years since my reign began, it has also been fifty years since the last Grandmaester…disappeared."

There were ruckuses of realisation and sighs of sadness. Tidus, being an outlander until just a few weeks ago, didn't know anything of this 'disappearing' Grandmaester. He hoped that Mika would at least explain what this had to do with anything, even though it meant having to listen to his rough and arrogant voice. Rough and arrogant…the description that perfectly matched that of his deceased father.

"Yes, his vanishing act was truly a sword through all of our hearts, and for me. He was my mentor, and my master. He was there for me when nobody else was. He saw my talents; he disregarded my reputation as a weak kin. He selected me as the next heir to the throne, and with that, I was sent to this academy. He was too forgiving of a man, and he wasn't yet too old to fly with the wind…"

'_Me, me, me. That's seriously his take on all of this?' _Tidus felt himself bubble with anger again, helped along by the obvious sniffles of some of the males, and the more stubborn ones silently mocking them. As Mika droned on, he was suddenly kneaded in the side by the student next to him.

"Hey! What'd you do that for?" Tidus whispered harshly, clutching onto his waist. Whoever he was, he had one heck of a strong fist.

"Ya lookin' a little angry at everybody," the man growled back with his heavy accent, his rather distracting orange feather waving about. "Just 'cause you can't stand listening to Grandmaester Mika's story don't mean you c'n just pout a' everything. Grow up."

"Wh-wha-!" Tidus' jaw dropped at the bulky man's ridiculously uncalled-for accusations, but he just turned away and watched Mika like a hawk. Tidus did the same and sighed disappointingly. Why did he have the worst luck when it came to having just one day go by without an insult or a beating? Or worse and more commonly, both at the same time?

"…I must thank that great man for lifting my life up high, and the ancient founders of this academy for guiding these now crooked bones along the winding path of knowledge, and ultimately painting a bright future for this wonderful community. For this day only, I will witness the birth of the new knowledge that will spark within you, and my eyes will help nurture that knowledge into something truly magnificent," Mika finally finished, looking quite pleased with himself, but exhausted all the same. The two mages rushed to his side to aid him as he nearly fell to the ground. Everybody else, while certainly concerned, all began to applaud the Grandmaester. All except a blond man with blue eyes, of course.

"Now then, since you have all completed your tests, and I have stalled on long enough, I will present you with your registration diplomas," Mika stated, summoning an ornate box with a gold trim lining it. Pushing the lid aside, the pearl white scrolls leapt from the box and hovered in front of the elderly man. "Let's see…we will start from…the east side, I will think."

"Maester, with all due respect," one of the mages spoke up, afraid to face his master's potential wrath. "I think you must explain to everyone what those…'diplomas' actually are. I mean…they will be hard to understand otherwise."

Mika turned to the red crystallised mage, his bushy white eyebrows furrowing deeper into his spotted skin. "Mithkos, I have made it apparent to everyone and to myself that I have spoken too many words for now. Please, let an old fool rest and explain the matter yourself, if it's bothering you that much. It's _Grand_maester, by the way. Two most stark things."

"Absolutely, Ma-Grandmaester," Mithkos obliged, and looked out towards the circular herd. He conjured a white flame from his palm, and it turned into a replica of the dormant diplomas. "These scrolls which the Grandmaester will give you will contain little words and many numbers. The scores , out of thirty, which you have earned from the six tests will all add up, and blend into one letter at the bottom. These letters: A, B and C; represent the High Class, Middle Class, and Low Class in that order. Obviously, you will want to scavenge for any traces of an A on your scroll. And if you receive a C, well, uh…that's fine. We will not think of you any lower. After all, you got into the Yevo-"

"That's quite enough, Mithkos," Mika frowned, slapping away his mirage and bunching the real scrolls together. "Fortunately, very few attenders in the past passed away with a C. That is a good statistic, a great statistic, and I would like for that number not to increase on my golden jubilee. I hope you have all pushed yourselves to the limit. The academy does not need to waste funds to prepare classrooms for a single lonely student."

'_Sheesh! No pressure there,'_ Tidus shuddered. He was resenting this Grandmaester more and more by the passing of the seconds.

"And now, without _any further ado,"_ Mika enforced, whipping the delicate scrolls in his weak fist. "we will begin."

He got a B. Tidus passed with a B.

Realising what would come of him if anyone else saw his rank; he made a dash through the clusters of excited patrons and backed up against the moist walls. He scrunched the parchment with both of his fists and comedically buried his head into it. He began to skim over the table of details, glad that nobody was paying attention to him for the time being.

'_Fifteen in general knowledge, eighteen in offensive… Wait…zero? Zero in summoning!?' _Tidus' eyes almost bulged out of his head as he stretched his arms in front of him. He hoped that nobody had caught a glimpse of his embarrassing score. '_I…I know I didn't summon anything, but…the pyreflies! Dang, that's harsh…'_

To think, one of the most famous subjects that the academy tackled, and he got a zero in it during registration. He caught earfuls of twenties and twenty-fives and even thirties as they passed in front of him. It took all his confidence not to slide down to the floor. If they saw this, if they ripped the paper out of his hands to find just one moderate flaw; he wasn't going to get through this day half-alive.

'_At least I got a thirty in combat,' _Tidus groaned, rolling up his diploma and hiding it in his back satchel. '_At least that's something to take home. Not like anyone's there to listen, anyway.'_

He pushed himself from the wall gently and snuck over to a seemingly secluded spot behind a stone column. He needed time to calm down and get his head straight. The barrages of noise seemed to drown out after a little while, and Tidus felt just a little relieved that nobody came to talk to him. With a fresh supplement of self-esteem, he walked casually to the centre of the room, pretending that his mind was elsewhere as he stopped in the back of a large crowd.

What he didn't notice right away during his actions, was that Mika had reappeared on the platform, panic and enragement in his raspy voice. It was also the reason why there was a large crowd to begin with.

"Wh-…whatever do you mean!? One point? One point from what!?"

"One point from the Low Class, Grandmaester. One student was…one point from that." The blue crystallised mage muttered, shame and foreboding apparent in his glassy eyes.

"I…I don't believe any of this! Show me his or her recorded score immediately!"

The mage steadily pulled out a slightly altered version of the diploma, and Mika quickly snatched it from his gauntlets with malice. The murmurs kicked into full throttle again, and for once, Tidus was quite interested in what was going on. However, he had a cold heavy feeling in his gut, and he was almost certain as to what was going to happen. Still, he could hope…

"Who is this!? Who is this fool that dare attacks my heart so!?"

"Right there, Grandmaester. On the top left."

"…Levia? You mean…_Tidus_ Levia!? Child of-!?"

Mika's hand shot open as the diploma fluttered to the floor. Without warning, he began to dash through the circle of people; brittle legs pattering against the damp stones. They immediately made way whilst talking to themselves loudly, and Mika found him, his tanned skin looking a bit pale for wear as he shuffled uncomfortably.

"Umm… Hiya," Tidus smiled meekly, though his eyes were begging for a diversion out of all this attention.

"It can't be… The son of Jecht, one point from the…" Mika breathed, his air coming out as shaky gusts. Everybody was silent, yet were all thinking the same thought.

'_But…I'm not my old man,'_ Tidus clenched his fists; not only at the mention of his father's name, but at himself also. He really should have seen this coming to him, for he could never live up to his father's legacy. Not with his past life. If he was just that little bit more capable; that little bit _smarter_…he wouldn't have to see this. Nobody would have to.

"I…I thought…you would know better, Levia," Mika looked up at the young man, fiery tears in his eyes. This man was the son of Jecht. It almost seemed like a cruel joke to him. "The son of Jecht…would know better! You can't be his child! You just-!"

Mika collapsed once again, and like last time, his mages were there to hold him up. They dragged him back to the platform, though the witnesses' eyes were still burning into Tidus' soul. Mika carried himself, visibly shaking, and commanded for the platform to ascend.

"Your registration…is complete," Mika whimpered, beady eyes all set on one sole man. The platform silently flew upwards, and not another sound was made.

Mika didn't like Tidus. Tidus didn't like Mika.

In fact, Tidus didn't like anybody in this academy at the moment, and he doubted that would ever change. Here he was, hiding in the Middle Class corridors after zipping out of the dungeons at record-breaking speed, and already he could hear the provoking taunts and abhorring threats thundering up the stairs. They got closer, ever closer, until their snobbish voices rung clear in his ears.

"What was he thinking, just scaring the Grandmaester like that?"

"Isn't it obvious? He hasn't any care for our civilisation! I mean, did you see his stupid drabs?" 

"Rather tardy, too. His family must be ashamed. He deserves a right spanking, tsk!"

"Why don't we do that for them? His father can't do anything about his mistakes now."

"Good idea, that. Maybe we'll get one of the blitz fellows to…teach him a lesson."

The duo laughed and agreed to themselves as they crossed the dormitories. Luckily, they didn't come to notice the man that they were taunting, who was sandwiched behind a rather menacing gargoyle statue. Tidus held his silent breath as he strained his ears to decide if the coast was clear enough, even though he would rather clamp his cold leather gloves over them; anything to shut out the pain.

Too soon, the corridor went silent. Tidus hoped that was a sign that they had gone into another room, since he couldn't even budge his neck to check. He slowly raised himself from his foetal position, feeling his weight drop down to his legs. He tried to sidle out of the narrow space between the statue and the creamy strawberry walls. However, just as he was about to get free, the black vices of his sneaked snagged the pedestal, and he bumbled to the floor with a yelp and a large thud.

With a painful moan, he crawled onto his knees and sat up on the hall-length blue carpet. He shook his golden head from side to side to dispel the concussion in his eyes. He looked upward and noticed two still persons at the other side of the room, glaring at him with both disgust and a malevolent glint. One of them bore auburn hair tied back in a ponytail, and wore formal blue and green summoner robes. His slightly taller partner grew horned black hair, and was covered in yellow and beige armour made out of bones and satin cloth. They looked at each other and grinned, while Tidus leapt from his knees to his feet. This wasn't going to be good.

"Thought you could hide from us, Low Class peasant?"

"They should have just thrown you in there! You have no right to inhale even the air in Middle Class!"

"Brother Maroda, would you please show this boy how it's done in your world?"

"My pleasure!"

Maroda smacked his fist into his palm, let out a battle cry, and trampled down the carpet in the dead centre of Tidus' path. His eyes widened at the situation, and careered towards his right to avoid getting crushed to death. With his superior speed and agility, Maroda missed his target and was sent skidding along the cotton carpet, the fluff piling into his mouth and torturing his throat. Tidus took this chance to run the stretch, springing up onto the ground and dashing for the staircase. He 'accidentally' thumped Maroda's body with his foot, and slid down the mahogany railings of the stairs; smirking at the furious auburn head.

Tidus dipped and weaved through the waves of Middle Class newcomers, hands violently grabbing and clutching at his clothes as he did so. Before long, he found himself on the ground floor again, and he could again hear the thundering of footsteps following his wake. It wasn't of any use. Everywhere he went, knuckles would trail. All he could ever do was run, run like the wind. He ran down the echoing hallways, ran through the countless defenceless thresholds, ran down a sudden corner, ran almost into a young woman's body…

Tidus saw what he was getting into, and desperately planted the soles of his sneakers on the shiny floor; screeching and coming to a halt just a few feet away from where this girl was standing. He breathed heavily and looked straight up. There was a pale orderly lady next to the woman, dressed in black; much like the colour of her bun that had pins and ornaments sticking out of it. Her crimson eyes glanced curiously, yet ominously at the man in front of her.

"And what are you supposed to be doing here?" The lady questioned, raising a dark eyebrow at the one obscuring her path. "Shouldn't you be at the Low-…Middle Class section?"

"Umm, well, I…" Tidus' voice faltered. Would she believe him if he told her what was going on? Would she of all people be willing to listen to him, even though nobody else had? He then took note that there was a small herd of other women behind this lady. What was going on that would be so important as to drop their registration for?

In annoyance, the lady had unintentionally released her hold on the weak stumbling person beside her. She let out a cry as her legs turned in on themselves, and started to plummet to the ground. Tidus jumped at this and upon his instincts, dived in front of her and caught her body before her head met the freezing solid floor. The lady and the others stuck on the staircase gasped at him.

It was then that he could examine this exhausted woman in full detail. This one he was holding…he had to admit, he did find her really quite pretty. She sported dusty brown tresses that curved around her rounded porcelain face, topped with a small fringe on her left half. She was dressed in a traditional kimono; a white towel on her torso and a royal blue floor-length skirt, separated by an obi shaped like a hibiscus. Her arms were covered by white sleeves that faded to pink at the ends, and her feet were constricted by knee-height black boots. Tidus felt himself go a little red in the face as his eyes darted back and forth, and the redness also partially came from the fact that the girls towering over him weren't too happy with him in his position.

He didn't know what triggered his motive to do this, but Tidus abruptly stood to his feet and looked towards the lady again.

"Is there a nurse around here?"

"Why… This has nothing to do with you. Give her to me," The lady shot a perturbed look at him.

"_Is there a nurse around here?" _He repeated; demand as clear as crystal in his tone.

"…At the start of the east wing, just around the corner-"

"I'll bring her back later!" Tidus blurted out rudely, scooping up the seemingly unconscious woman and making a break for the eastern main doors. The lady sputtered whilst the ones behind her screamed bloody murder, and soon she was chasing after the man who had kidnapped her dear friend. She readied her scorched palm with faint wisps of warm colours, and hoped that nobody else was behind or would stand in front of her.

Tidus was sprinting swiftly, yet lightly across the wooden panels; so as not to accidently rouse this maiden from her sleep. He kept his sight locked on the surroundings in front of him, but occasionally checked her face to see how she was faring. Soon, he came across a small archway; the words 'Medical Help' painted on a banner next to it. He leaned against the connecting wall for a bit to catch his breath, when he realised that the woman in his arms was awake, staring right at him.

As their gazes met, Tidus noticed something very strange and unique about her eyes. Her left eye was a sapphire blue, shining with mild curiosity. This would have been totally normal, if her right eye wasn't a lush forest green hue, bright with energy. He had never seen somebody with two separate eye colours before. He wondered how long he had been staring into him, staring at her. Furthermore, he wondered why she was staring back with such equal power. His eyes were stinging dry, but he still could not turn his head away.

What was this strange feeling that he had? And…what was it about this girl, that made her seem so special?


	2. Spirit Beasts

**II: Spirit Beasts**

She hadn't a clue about what was going on.

First, a barrage of pyreflies had swarmed about her staff. Then she felt the heat of her body abscond as she lost all sense of reality. She heard loud frantic noises and voices from down the stairs, as she blinked the fatigue from her hazy mind. As soon as her eyelashes separated, she found herself in the confident arms of a man, whom she didn't recognise; staring into eyes so bright with blue, that she had almost forgotten about her aforementioned cluelessness.

Within the minute, she found herself on an array of ornate tapestry propped up on a mattress. Her vision was blurry from drowsiness, but through the sight of the sickly brown ceiling, she could faintly hear the flares and crackles of yellow torchlight. The radiating light seemed to focus and spread in an irritating pattern, and its burning heat didn't aid her temperature. She felt ill from her throat, her whole world was spinning, and she started to see double. She couldn't move, and she couldn't think straight. Her arms were numb, and her heart was racing. Her already vague memories were starting to ebb away.

She noticed a black shadow from the corner of her green eye, stepping towards her. The shadow outstretched its arm, revealing that it was holding a strangely shaped orange vial made out of pottery. Its transparent containments splashed all over her clothed body, and she suddenly felt a little bit healthier. She was at least able to tilt her neck to find out just where she was.

She began to observe her surroundings, starting from the left. The first things she saw were pots of herbs and labelled jugs of water, lined up on the countless shelves on the wooden walls. Her attention was drawn to a cloaked figure, its face hidden by the red and white patterned shawl on its head, walking away with the vial. She could scent the smell of stagnant, yet sweet fumes, which came from an orange cauldron a few feet away from her. Suddenly, the figure stopped in front of a set of cushions which spread across the length of the room, and she began to hear two voices. Her hearing was still fuzzy, so she couldn't make out what they were saying; but she could tell that they were feminine and masculine separately.

She could feel throbbing motions in her head, making her let out a small moan. This drew the attention of the unknown figure, as it pivoted on the spot and looked down on her. The figure was a woman, rather built and had quite a few marks and scars on her aging face. To her, the woman looked rather intimidating. She almost felt like hiding under the materials when she started to move towards her. However, another person swiftly emerged from the woman's wide figure.

It looked to be the young man from earlier, his distance allowing her to fully observe him. He bore deeply tanned skin, covered by a yellow vest, white hoodie and black leather shorts, complete with matching gloves and sneakers. His spiky hair was an unexplainable mix between gold and dark brown. His overall palette seemed to be warm and tame, except for one thing. Those brilliant blue eyes, so florescent and crystalline. She wondered why she couldn't get the image of them out of her head.

"Hey. You all right?" The man bent down beside her, casually examining her. She was a little surprised to see how calm he was in front of her, since that almost always wasn't the case with her presence in the streets. Before she could attempt a reply, there was a low cough from the end of the room. The man looked behind him, recoiled a little, and jumped up to make room.

The shawled woman pointed at the resting girl, and made a rising motion with her crooked fingers. Blushing with a hint of fear, she tried to stand on her own feet. She felt a little wobbly and unfocused at first, but she soon got used to it. She was definitely feeling a lot better than before. She shyly walked up to the towering woman, who simply nodded and bluntly motioned to the threshold.

The girl was made nervous by her unsocial and bold demeanour, even more so when the woman growled at the young man sheltering beneath the shelves. He scratched at his tacky head and paced out of the room without rhythm. The girl soon followed, watching the other woman retreat into a small trapdoor that blended with the walls.

It was strange and somehow horrifying; being in a deserted corridor with no indication of where she was. Remembering that she wasn't alone, she began to look for any traces of bright yellow or piercing, wonderful blue. She found a very peculiar sight of the man near her, backed against the wall, constantly sorting out his lefts and rights. Her interests piqued, she quietly walked up to the lively man, smiling a little when he was startled at the sight of her.

"I believe we've never met," she said, her voice reserved and full of air. He seemed to tense up a little at those words, but played it off with a little subtle smile.

"Yeah, we haven't, haven't we?" She had to suppress a minute giggle at his choice of wording. By the looks of it, he seemed to catch this, but wasn't bothered by it for some reason. "I'm actually kinda new around here, so I don't really know anyone."

'_A newcomer?' _She now knew why this particular person wasn't bowing down to her, or fumbling and stumbling for words to say to her. She actually somewhat liked being treated like an ordinary civilian. But still, if she and this man didn't know each other, then why did…?

"I-I apologise for this, but where am I? Why did you help me? Why were you there to help me in the first place?" She asked quietly, as if it was a sin to heavily inquire somebody so suddenly.

"Ah-! Well, I… It's because…" He was beginning to stutter profoundly, as if he was genuinely embarrassed to be faced with such interrogations. She immediately began to chastise herself for being so rude towards this seemingly friendly individual.

"Enough."

A stern feminine voice appeared behind her, and the man exclaimed at the sight. Turning around, she was greeted by the agitated face of a pale woman dressed in robes of fur and black. She swore she saw a tiny flicker of orange behind her, but it very quickly disappeared.

"Lulu? Why are you here?" She gasped at how perfect her timing had been, but she was moreso worried about the obvious frown on her purple lips.

"It doesn't matter. Come," Lulu commanded, grabbing the younger girl's hand with her warm one. She began to lead her away without doubt or mercy, and she could hear her occupier yell for her.

"But…but I... He-!" She tried to stop her peeved and hasty friend, but it seems she wouldn't have any of it.

"You'll miss the ranking call. There's no time," Lulu half-shouted, walking even faster. The young girl looked behind her to see the shocked expression on the man's face. Guilt was brimming in her heterochromatic eyes before she rounded the corner, wondering if she would get to see him again.

"Wait! I didn't get your-!" He stopped just short of the corner, before deciding it would be best not to career into any more potential trouble. Lightly sighing, he began to wander about the opposite direction, searching for a nearby staircase. He found that girl from before to be a breath of fresh air. It had been a while since he last had a normal conversation full of laughs and smiles like that. He wondered if he would get to see her again sometime today. He wondered if she would even remember him.

He managed to bump into a set of railings as he passed through into a wider hallway. Looking around for a group of jeering bullies or a flash of a deep blue skirt, he began to ascend the carpeted wooden stairs, trying not to make any noise with his added weight. As he reached the second floor, he looked around at the diamond-shaped red walls and past the deeply patterned carpet. No noise. Maybe he could get back to his designated room without getting maimed.

He reached into his black satchel, pulled out the creaseless diploma and scanned it. Below his scores and his just-about rank, he saw the name of his room. Eastern block, in the first front row, fifth room from the main corridor on the right. He sighed in irritancy. Wouldn't it kill them just to put numbers on the doors? He pocketed the diploma haphazardly and looked around for an indication on where he was. In a boost of luck, a green sign on the wall notified him that he was already in the eastern block. All he had to do was go through the narrow hallway to the front of the room.

As he treaded down the thin space connecting the numerous rows, he swore that he was beginning to hear voices coming from the walls. They couldn't be the taunts of a few students with nothing better to do. These voices sounded foreign, like that strange man he talked to earlier…

* * *

If there was one thing Tidus had to be grateful for, pertaining to the attitudes of the other students, it would have to be that they labelled their rooms with their last names. This made finding his room, without walking in on a burly warrior looking for something to punch, much easier.

Upon entering his room, he realised that it wasn't like he expected it to be. All that was in it was a line of empty shelves, a large wooden chest, a cupboard, a coffee table and a small blue couch built into the wall. He also noticed a couple of cases hanging on several pegs, which were shaped differently from another. His mind instantly went to the couch, as he plopped down onto it and cracked his back. It seemed like this room was his pick-me-up and personal area during free periods. This section of the academy was more of a fancy storage system, rather than a dormitory. Tidus felt he couldn't complain about that. He wanted to get out of this place ever since Mika fainted in front of him.

A few minutes later, Tidus' feet were relieved of their ache. He groaned lowly as he upheaved himself and stretched out his toned body, letting the wonderful sensation run down his spine. His arms fell limp as he looked around the turquoise room, wondering if he should start looking through his treasury to see where everything is.

Being the curious type, it wouldn't surprise anyone to think that he first went for the large chest in the east side of the room. Tidus lifted the curved lid to see that there were already quite a few items stored away in it. The first object he pulled out was a small jade statue, which seemed to represent a sort of animal or fiend. He raised an eyebrow at it before tossing it back in, baffled. He then pulled out a transparent sack full of brown and green particles. Tidus recalled this as being fiend bait, which his supply of was left uneaten during registration. He laughed at the memory and dropped it back into the chest. The next item was incredibly heavy, and Tidus had to peer into the chest to see what it was. His jaw almost dropped and he yelped in excitement. It was a large electricity generator, and a portable one at that. He didn't care that he was struggling to hold it. He whistled with admiration.

'_And a G-240 model, at that! Can't wait until we get to use this fella,' _Tidus grinned, carefully setting it back into position. He had a fascination with machina, machines, for as long as he could remember. He was especially fond of the more power-specialised categories. Running his hand along its smooth golden surface, his eye caught the final object in the chest, and his smile instantly fell.

He picked up the small object and looked over it. It was a golden shelled gauntlet with stitched black padding. A red and blue ribbon separated the arm from the hand and was accompanied with a small silver chain. Tidus instantly recognised this as a blitzball gauntlet; a mandatory accessory if you didn't want to get burn marks on your hand. He leant back and looked over it with a painful half-smile.

'_I haven't played blitz in years…' _Tidus mused, trying not to recall painful memories of his last match. He once again reached for his satchel, this time pulling out a long platinum pendant. His old coach gave it to him personally as an icon for his status during the sport, but now it was just a grim reminder of what could have been. He tapped the oddly shaped symbol which connected the two chains, and breathed out almost silently.

'_I never figured out what this thing's supposed to be,' _Tidus eyed the symbol, tracing his pupil along the shimmering, slightly dusty lines. '_It always looked like a tree to me. Or some two-headed dragon thing. Maybe it's just a fancy T shape…'_

The more he looked at it, the harder it was to keep looking at it. After some mindless observation, he shook his head and quickly stuffed the pendant back into his satchel, hearing it clink as he did so. He gently set the gauntlet back into the chest and reached up to shut the lid. He painlessly bounced up from his crouching position and waltzed over to the cupboard. Upon opening the loosened doors, his face was painted with confusion and disgust.

There were three sets of identical outfits, each one consisting of a pale yellow robe and a black-grey skirt that reached the floor. They also had two pairs of boots each, one pair black and the other completely yellow. Tidus held up one of the outfits with a very unsure look on his face.

'_Hoo boy, a skirt…' _Tidus bit his lip, filtering cold air between his teeth. '_I can just imagine the stuff that'll go around if they see me in this.'_

'_Then again, everybody else wears one, so maybe I'll get off the hook,' _Tidus shuddered, shoving the robe and skirt back into the cupboard and closing it, looking up towards the pegs. '_**Maybe**_.'

Being slightly taller than the average height, he reached up and grabbed one of the dark blue cases without much hassle. He opened it and let the case plummet to the ground, for he was holding a standard steel sword, forged at medium length. He wasn't too impressed by the handiwork, and he hoped that he could replace it with, in his opinion, his much better one back home. He doubted if it would fit in the case, though. Replacing it, he reached for the second case, and it was revealed to be a simple wooden staff with a glassy orb rooted in the middle. He tried to swing it around like he did the sword, but it proved incredibly awkward to pull off. He had no opinion of it since he had never held a staff before, except during registration. He didn't pay much attention to any form of magic, really. Unlike its counterpart: machina.

Tidus set the bare staff back on the pegs, kicking away the two empty cases. He dawdled over to the washed-out coffee table, his leg barely pressing against the finished surface. He looked over his room for the second time. It was barren and not much at all, but he figured that would change over the test of time. That large chest and those shelves must be there for an imperative reason, he thought. All in all, it was decent enough. He wondered if the other students were satisfied with their rooms. Considering his awful first impressions of the people around here, he would think not.

His weight accidently made the coffee table jolt backwards, making a small drawer slam into his muscled leg. Tidus regained his balance and investigated the components inside of it. It was full of useful little widgets and devices, including a feathered pen and a set of white sticky notes. Tidus thought that this was how all the other rooms were labelled. Deciding to go with their idea, he ripped off a square piece and pocketed the rest. Picking up the pen, he quickly scribbled down his birth name, deciding that giving away his surname would be too risky. With that, he set for the door, thanking the genius that started this trend in the first place.

He was just about to turn the handle, when he heard noises on the other side. They were sounds of rumbling doors and familiar voices.

"I-I'm sorry. You're not who I was looking for. S-sorry! Oh, where could he be?"

"Yuna, we should just go back. We need to get ourselves ready."

"But…it was wrong of me to leave him there during our talk. I should find him. It's the least I can do."

A small smile automated onto Tidus' face. One of those voices sounded like that girl from earlier. He couldn't pinpoint why, but he was happy to hear that she was here. Mayhaps it was because she was the only person who had spoken to him nicely; an action he had never received for months upon end. He pushed open the door, and there she was, near the arched frame that led to the main corridor. Lulu was with her, as well.

She noticed the man's unmistakable blond head, and almost cried out in surprise. She looked behind herself to seek approval from her dear friend, but she merely glared at the man and sighed in defeat.

"Go on, then," Lulu said with a tut, watching her young friend saunter up to the young man in front of her. There was just a feeling about him that made herself feel resentful towards him, as if he had done something to harm her in the past. She knew they had never met before, but he looked…familiar, somehow.

"I'm sorry. The door wasn't marked, so I thought it was vacant," the girl apologised again; a very common remark with her, it seemed.

"I was about t' do that, actually," The man stated, hopping backwards and slapping a note on the waxed surface of the door. The girl leant forward, trying to make out the sharp writing from the glow of the paper.

"Tai-dus?"

"Tee-dus. Don't worry, everybody gets it wrong," Tidus laughed. He swore that the girl was about to bow and apologise yet again, but she instead copied the smile on his face.

"I'm Yuna: Yuna of Bevelle," she introduced herself formally, but was interrupted by a well-timed cough from Lulu.

"_Lady_ Yuna of Bevelle."

"O-of course," Yuna stammered, her cheeks flushed with heat. "It's been a pleasure meeting you, Tidus. Thank you…so much, for your help earlier."

"Ah, well… It was nothing. I just kinda went out of control that time," Tidus discredited himself, trying to disperse the embarrassment in his face. In doing so, he caught the red eyes of the distant lady, who just scowled and began to set off in the opposite direction.

"Uhh, Yuna? Who's she?" Tidus muttered, disturbance in his features as he motioned towards the fleeing lady.

"Oh! That's Lulu, my close friend," Yuna stammered, insecurity in her tone as she watched her storm off without her company. "She doesn't really like it when I talk to people she doesn't know. She's like an older sister to me."

"Oh, right," Tidus sighed. He wondered if it was his fault that he managed to make yet another enemy in the academy this time. Maybe he shouldn't have taken off with Yuna so quickly and suspiciously, and then maybe Lulu would have trusted him more. What's worse is that this Lulu character was watching over, so faithfully, the only person who didn't seem to be bothered by the sheer existence of him. Maybe that would change if his cursed family name was revealed to her. Still, with some effort and some horribly forced time schedules, he could find himself making his first ever true friend. He could hope, couldn't he?

"I… I have to go," Yuna whispered after a long period of silence. She suddenly ran down the path that Lulu went down, holding up her skirt whilst doing so.

"Wait! Hold on!" Tidus yelled after her, making sure to catch up to her this time around. "So, what class did you two get into?"

"High Class! It was pretty easy for me, apart from the combat one!" Yuna called back, still searching for where her black-clad friend had disappeared to.

"Can we meet up later?"

"Ah… Of course! Tomorrow, maybe? In the plaza?" Yuna requested, her attention almost assuaged when she saw Lulu standing impatiently by yet another staircase. "Lulu! Ah, thanks again, Tidus!"

Tidus bid a farewell to Yuna with a simple raise of his palm, before turning away with the intention of heading back to his room, bewildered by what had just transpired. He had never met someone as friendly and accepting as Yuna before in his life. He had found in his past that even the most saintly and calmest of people had at least a few snide remarks to throw at him, whether the subject was about his heritage to the great Sir Jecht or just about his shortcomings. She didn't care about his undeniable awkwardness, unlike everyone else. She seemed to not mind the natural goofy smile on his face, unlike everyone else. She didn't even laugh at his seemingly odd genetics. In fact, he often noticed small flashes of pink on her cheeks whenever she looked him in the eye. This Yuna character…she was a mysterious one, and Tidus, not unlike her, did not mind one bit.

Tidus roamed back into the storage section, his eyes focused on the stained glass arch in the wooden doorframe, his mind drugged with happy thoughts. He was snapped away from his daydream when he bumped into the platemail of a very tall man, his hairy red arms pushing out his torso. Tidus craned his neck to meet smug brown eyes, which were squeezed into slits by a very perturbed grin.

"So you were the one making all that noise, Levia!" The man immediately seized Tidus by his vest, suspending him a few centimetres from the ground. His flighty voice penetrated his ears, almost making them bleed. "Idiot. Can't you see we have important business?"

"Business? In a near-empty room?" Tidus sniggered, not even caring that he was about to be ground into a pulp. "The only thing we've done is draw our names onto our doors, 'cause we don't wanna remember where we are."

"Oh, don't worry. I've been doing a bit of interior décor myself. Posters, blitzballs, all that cool stuff. Things that you can't even afford, I bet."

Oh boy, here we go again. This was yet another gutsy stranger that strived to only make Tidus' life all the more exciting. That's exactly what he was: a stranger; somebody that didn't even know him; yet took time out of their busy lives to toss a couple of punches to the awful boy. Tidus was already wishing that Yuna could have stayed for a little longer.

"Hey, I mightn't be chock full of gil like everybody else is around here," Tidus started, deciding to go down the calm route. He always did want to try out this 'assertive' style with the local troublemakers, after all. "but I don't waste it all on pointless stuff."

"Pointless?" The man scoffed, suddenly releasing the starchy material from his grubby hands. "Hello! I'm both a captain and a professional blitzball player! The best in the world, just so you know. I 'waste' my money on top-tier merchandise and contracts. What do you spend Sir Jecht's fortune on? A crummy, rundown boathouse? That can't even endure my blitzball to its sail? Can I get a say on how ironic that is?"

"**You** did that!?" Tidus roared, recalling the incident from a few days ago that almost left him stranded out in the ocean. "So, you were that Bickson guy!?"

"The one and only, blondie! Star player of the Goers, making everybody's life more worthwhile!" Bickson chortled, rehearsing his iconic catchphrase. He mussed up Tidus' spikes of hair before throwing him against the wall, and slithered back into his room beside the narrow hallway.

Tidus growled as he staggered to his feet. He was so going to pay for what he did one of these days. He absently passed by Bickson's room, his name pathetically doodled onto the sticky note. In a bout of hatred, Tidus began to hack up a ball of spit, but a female voice began to ring from out in the corridor.

"_ATTENTION, MIDDLE CLASS. YOUR FIRST LESSON WILL COMMENCE AS SOON AS YOU ARRIVE AT THE SUMMONING HALL. PLEASE MOVE TO THE SUMMONING HALL IN THE CENTRE OF THE FLOOR. I REPEAT…"_

"Oh, baby! And I was just finished, too!"

Tidus then wholly realised that he was standing in front of a muscleman's doorstep.

* * *

"Hoo, blondie! Lovin' the new 'door-smacked' look on your face! It goes well with the tan!"

Bickson, with his two other mates, howled at the hilarious display. Tidus on the other hand, didn't say anything, but kept walking to the other end of the circular hall; anything to get away from the heinous jerk. He had to restrain himself from glaring at the other gathered students, who were all giggling at the unlikely occasion. Not even the symbols on the floor or the magnificent view from the windows distracted him from his sulk. He hated everybody so much right now.

In time, the very faint rumbling sound had gotten louder and louder, before it was replaced with hundreds of screaming and whining pyreflies which rose from the ground. Men trembled and women shrieked at the invasion, before the pieces of light whirled around a risen pedestal in the dab centre of the hall. The pyreflies got faster, tightening around the pedestal. Now they had turned into a multi-coloured blur of light. Without warning, a long serpent-like monster sprouted from the blur, its blue translucent form shimmering in the sunlight. Tidus, like many others, was terrified that such a beast had infiltrated. The serpent bore its glimmering fangs at Bickson and his gang, which prompted them to scream with such femininity. Tidus then believed for a brief moment that karma wasn't just a myth.

When it looked like it was about to strike, the serpent's form began to melt and evaporate into distorted mist, pyreflies reappearing and burying themselves back under the ground. Just after, an elderly man humbly entered from one of the thresholds. The students in his path made way for the old teacher. Tidus noticed something remarkably different about this old man, though. While Mika and the other sages had crooked backs and even more crooked faces, this one sported a bold and proud posture, determination set in his ancient, yet somehow youthful face. His attire was very much like Maechen's: green robes and cloak with a matching bishop hat. He carefully ascended the spiralling pedestal, keeping quiet as he did so. Reaching the top, he scornfully scanned his audience. An elderly man might be weak, but this one's voice was the antonym of just that.

"What you just witnessed was the birth and death of a spirit beast: a manipulation of the pyreflies' form and energy to create a physical, tangible entity," the man's voice boomed throughout the hall, bouncing off of the walls. "I am Lord Ohalland, and I will be your tutor for Bevelle's most beautiful form of magic: the art of the summoner!"

Most of the students were unsure on whether to applaud Ohalland for his entry or not, leaving a very uncomfortable smatter of hands clapping together. Ohalland, not wanting to fall into the same awkwardness, snorted at his crowd and whipped his cloak backward.

"But, since this is your first ever class in this academy, I have been assigned to go over the essential code of conduct. Anybody who is attempting to escape would be best off not doing that, or they will face very serious troubles. Am I right, captain of the Goers?" Ohalland directed himself to the redhead, who very pulled back his foot into the circle.

"I don't really like this class," Bickson mumbled quietly to his partners, who nodded their glum heads in agreement.

"First of all, I'm sure that you are all accustomed to this rule. Only soldiers, blitzball players and guardians of a higher position, which have been declared official by a council member, are permitted to wear armour or any articles of clothing as they please. The rest of you are only allowed to wear traditional Yevonite robes or the ones provided to you in your storage rooms. This also applies for outside the academy, and inside Bevelle itself. Already, I can see one person who is breaking this rule. A pretty sad world, isn't it, Levia?"

"Uh, yeah. It is, right?" Tidus flubbed, eyes trailing down to his appropriate, yet inappropriate outfit. That black skirt was going to be the core of his nightmares for the next few weeks. The man next to him was snorting at him obnoxiously, and he almost felt the need to jab him with hard white knuckles.

"Second of all," Ohalland paused for a second to pull out a bundle of laminated cards from under his cloak, and then began to deal them out effortlessly. "Timetables. They're nifty little things that will ensure that you will arrive to class _on time_ and with the _right equipment._ Speaking of which, it's nice to see that most of you, upon hearing the term, '_Summoning_ hall', have had the common sense to bring one of your basic staves with you. What were we talking about in terms of sad worlds, Levia?"

"That it's…sad?" Tidus faltered, adding pressure to his timetable-full, staff-less hands. Was it just a 'traditional' thing to casually call somebody out on what they didn't do, around these parts? It's like they were encouraging people to make fun of the concept of a mistake.

"Yes, sad. Sad, indeed," Ohalland grinned maliciously. "The last major rule is certainly not the least of your worries. You are allowed to carry your provided weapons home, or replace them with any model you wish. But you are _**not **_allowed, within the academy grounds, to take advantage of your staves or swords outside of class. You may only do so, in the city, under _very specific circumstances_, such as during a fiend outbreak or a duel organised by the council. Anybody caught with their weapons publicly drawn will be charged for assault and potential _manslaughter_._"_

Tidus was halfway expecting Ohalland to manipulate their attention again, but he instead stood quiet whilst everyone else sheepishly did the same. He did think, however, that he would have to be mindful of this combination of a rule and a law. He wondered if the academy would let it slide if he was just breaking it in self-defence. Ohalland withdrew himself from his dramatic stance, continuing on like usual.

"Plus there's attendance policies, no going into the High Class section unless permitted, responsibility for your own actions, no smart talk to the teachers; all that can be referred to on the bulletin board near the entrance of the academy," Ohalland quickly finished, pulling out a long carved staff from the sheath tucked away beneath his cloak. "With that all out of the way, let us begin the first lesson. Oh, and Levia, could you please go to that corner over there until the end of the period, and think about what makes the world so sad?"

And so, Tidus spent the next twenty minutes huddled against a stone column, lazily watching the pyreflies drift about and the struggling students stampeding amongst them. He didn't pay any heed to Ohalland's loudmouthed instructions and the creatures that he summoned without ease, wondering instead why he wouldn't let him go and get a staff instead of excluding him. He noticed that some of the little balls of light had flown over to him and got stuck in the very limited space between his back and the crevices. He almost contemplated on letting them free, but being a rather mischievous teenager, he decided to make it harder for everybody else around him. Besides, he rather liked the warm, tingly company of the cute little things.

The low chime of the bell rang clear in his ears, and he got up from his crosslegged position, hoping that nobody noticed the abundance of pyreflies that leaked from the corner. Ohalland summoned the pyreflies to his side, encasing them in piles of glass jars filled with water. Everybody scuttled to the middle of the hall, waiting for Ohalland to give an announcement.

"Oh, one more thing," Ohalland said, screwing on the last of the lids with his telekinesis while he looked at the circular herd. "The academy is open on Monday through Thursday, closed on Friday and the weekends. With permission from the staff, extra lessons are offered on Saturdays, starting from seven after noon. Lessons start at half-eight and end at three after noon. Since this is your first day, and you have all been through a lot, we're cutting off lessons early. You may all go home."

"S-seriously!?" A student exclaimed. "But we just-!"

"Yes, I am serious. The staff is, too," Ohalland dismissed, descending the pedestal. "Well? Are you children going to run off, or not?"

The students all filed out in rows, some being significantly more disappointed than others. Tidus, on the other hand, was ecstatic. He tried to sidle against the wall to make a shortcut, but he was yanked back and backed into an alcove by Ohalland himself. He barely had time to comprehend what was going on.

"W-what're you doing?" Tidus gasped, barely inhaling enough air to speak.

"I was there to see your registration score, Levia," Ohalland muttered, his white beard fluttering. "It's why I didn't lend you a staff. If you can't do it, why bother?"

'_Why bother!?'_ Tidus yelled internally. "But the pyreflies wanted to be near me! I-isn't that more than what you can say for others? You watched how they ran away from them, didn't you? The same happened in this class!"

"You didn't summon anything, though. The other students actually tried to summon something. Who cares if pyreflies want to circle around your finger? If you were thrown into a duel, you would be a world-famous laughing stock. The other students simply have more willpower than you."

Tidus had a hard time keeping control over his temper. He couldn't let it out on a teacher, let alone an old teacher, let alone an old summoning teacher. He let his words take it away. "Wouldn't it be against the pyreflies' will, to turn into stuff when they don't even like the summoner? Isn't that, like…slavery of some kind?"

"What would there be to enslave? Pyreflies are their names. Burning insects. They don't have emotions or souls. They don't mind being tossed, stretched and encased in small areas, just like what they did with you just now. They're just small forms of energy whose sole purpose is to be used. If we were all mindful of the 'feelings' of them, Bevelle wouldn't even have a summoning class. In fact, it would be illegal to have one. Levia, we humans are just more important than…well, flying specks of light."

Tidus was at a loss for words. After a brief silence, Ohalland took that as his cue to let him go. Without looking at him, Tidus emerged from the hidden space, and saw that more students were still cascading down the staircases. He pondered whether or not he should get swept away in the rapids, but the elderly man said something that made his blood boil.

"Sir Jecht agreed with my outlook on the pyreflies," Ohalland stepped out of the alcove, pure disappointment shrouding him. "Sir Jecht…had much more experience, than you. It's a shame that…that you aren't the same."

'_Don't you dare compare that crook to me!' _Tidus audibly scowled at the man without looking at him, not caring if he just disrespected him. Not bearing to be near him any longer, he sprinted out of the hall and into the wooden, crowded warmth of the corridor. He squeezed and squished past the infuriatingly slow people, landing on the first floor and making a dash for the main doors. He had to get out of this place before he went insane.

There they were: the open rectangular spaces bridging over the exiting patrons. He waited for an opening in the madness, silently yelling at them to go faster. At last, there was a gap. He dashed for the white space, ignoring the cries from his force. He crossed the threshold and bounded down the steps. At last, he was free. He went over to the same spot he was in just this morning, and leaned against a solid section in the vegetation to catch his breath. He was too clouded with fatigue to move right now, so he looked out at the academy courtyard that was quickly emptying. Something in it stood out to him, however. Amongst the dull and grey hovercars that left pulses of blue light running below them, he could see an elaborate four-wheeled carriage being upheld by two giant white birds.

Another colour immediately caught his eye. It was a flash of royal blue that was pacing rather quickly towards the carriage. Tidus shifted to get a better look of what was going on. Right away, he recognised that rich colour, and he had the most joyous spout of happiness in a long, long time. Yuna was standing in front of the carriage, stroking the feathers of the two unorthodox creatures before climbing onto the carriage, taking siege of the reins.

As Yuna gently piloted the vehicle out of its parked space, she began to ease the birds to go down the direction of the highbridge. It was obvious to see that she didn't want to hurt them by whipping them with the reins, so they were going as slow as possible, annoying the hovercar drivers and the pedestrians to no end. Above the frequent honks of the horns and the irate yells, Tidus could barely hear her apologise again and again.

Deciding that he needed to help both Yuna and the trapped, an idea formed in his head. He tried to get Yuna's attention, but his voice and gestures were drowned out by all the other noise. He lowered his hand and looked at it for a second. He took off his leather glove, inserted two fingers into his mouth, and blew out a shrill ear-piercing whistle.

It managed to not only get Yuna's attention, but everybody else's, too. Tidus smiled and gestured for the crowd to part, making room for Yuna's carriage to move both directions. He then commanded her to reverse to where he was standing. After she did that, Yuna looked at Tidus, thankful yet utterly confused. He then directed her to the hidden path tucked in-between the garden. With careful positioning and lots of trial and error, the large birds managed to squeeze through the trees, rocking down the muddy path. Tidus took a detour down a lower path and watched them, making sure that they were going down the correct route. When Yuna was set on the right track, he nodded and waved her off. She waved back and tried to thank him, but the bumpy path made her swallow her voice. Tidus laughed and started down the opposite direction, past the cliffside and down a secluded, shallow peninsula. He felt a little better now that he had helped someone out, especially now that he had rescued his almost-friend from a very sticky situation. He hoped that she would return home safely, and not get into any trouble just because she travelled through mud.

* * *

"Auron, I'm home," Tidus greeted as he walked into the cabin, pulling up the blinds on the windows. He looked around for any indication of a red coat, and found nothing. He released the breath he was unintentionally holding.

He walked over to one of the circular cushions, sitting down on it with his knees. He found the notebook that his old mentor had left on the table, and he picked it up to read it. It was a set of sword techniques for Tidus to go over, and they looked and sounded pretty convoluted. For him however, it was only another day of homework. He didn't mind swinging a sword around, but he found that it really began to work at his arms. It was honestly a bit of an extreme daily workout.

He tossed the notebook back onto the table and got up from the cushion. Rubbing his hands together, he began to push against the circular red table. There was a clicking sound, and the table, along with the floor below it, moved aside to reveal a staircase which Tidus descended.

He entered the living room, which was a large, dimly lit space with a sofa, fireplace, fur carpet and bookcases lined along the back. Tidus found Auron sitting on the sofa, but ignored him as he headed to his bedroom.

"You're back already?" Auron asked, his gruff voice calm and quiet. He kept his gaze locked onto the fireplace.

"They let us go home early," Tidus answered back from his room, searching for his longsword. "On a Thursday, as well. We don't go on Fridays. Pretty strange."

"I see," Auron murmured from the corner of his good eye, watching Tidus come out with a hooked red blade in his hand. "How was the first day?"

"Again, strange. They have these dungeons, and this huge summoning hall thing. There was this girl that fainted this morning, but I don't know why," Tidus rambled on, heading back up the stairs. Auron got up from the sofa quietly, and trailed behind him, saying nothing.

Tidus entered the main cabin again, being mindful of the curved waist-high walls that fenced in the dining table. He pressed a small blue button along the rim of the granite-polished surface, displaying a colourful holographic screen. Tidus looked at the centre of all of the complicated pictures, and picked out a diagram of the ship's mast.

"I see you fixed the sail," Tidus grinned, knowing that Auron had followed him. The older man nodded and silently made his way towards the door. Tidus rolled his eyes and tapped an orange coloured boat shape at the top of the hologram, rousing the ship's mechanical voice from its slumber. "Geosgaeno, you awake? You can raise the anchor, now. We can go out to sea again."

"About time!" Geosgaeno, the cranky personality of the ship, huffed. The orange arrow below the boat shape began to shrink, pixel by pixel. "I thought I'd never get these exhausts to move again!"

"Four days, Geos. Four days," Tidus groaned, heading for the staircase that led to the deck. "I'd hate to see you when your engines give up."

"Like _hell_, that's gonna happen!" Geosgaeno cracked, making the ship shake a bit. "The only way I'm going down is playin' chicken with the Kraken!"

"Yeah, keep dreaming," Tidus chuckled, slamming the door as he went up to the balcony, the hilt of his sword holstered on his shoulder. The ship began to jolt and rumble before it started moving, cruising smoothly across the rippling water. The ship moved deeper into the water, allowing Tidus to see the outer walls of Bevelle high above the rocky cliffside. The stinging wind whipped through his sunny hair, and he took in the fresh briny odour of the ocean. He almost didn't notice Auron walking up beside him as he readied his sword for training.

"By the way," Tidus panted, keeping as well away from the man as possible to keep him out of harm's way. "I know the guy who broke the sail."

"Really?" Auron rose, slightly interested. "Who?"

"It's that Bickson guy: the captain of the Goers." Tidus revealed, tightening the hold on his sword's handle. "He slammed a door into my face today. I don't like him."

"Only natural," Auron mulled, still looking out to the sea. "Physical damage that was convicted without apology would only hinder a relationship and its future."

"Yeah… A lot of truth in that," Tidus muttered vaguely, recalling painful memories of liquor bottles and meaningless screaming. Those times lay fresh in his mind, even after more than a decade later. He still had restless nights and terrors, but he didn't dare spill them to anyone. That would mean speaking ill of his father, and that would lead to mistrust and, even worse, misunderstanding. After a brief moment of nothing, Auron harrumphed and disappeared into the cabin again, presumably to watch the fireplace some more.

Tidus stayed on the ship's deck throughout the rest of the afternoon, jumping and flipping about, occasionally stopping for breaks. At the end of it all, he was starting to get rather bored, and decided to take things up a notch. Readying himself into position, he raised his sword high into the air, took off with a few small hops. The hops turned into somersaults, and once he reached a satisfactory altitude, he slammed the blade of his sword right into the deck, giving off a small shock wave. It was a spiralling cut, as he called it; a move that he could never pull off without some sort of practice. The force of the attack affected the course of the ship, and it wasn't happy about that.

"I'm watchin' you, buddy," Geosgaeno threatened through the outer speakers. "I'll buck that sword into the ocean myself, one day!"

"Sorry!" Tidus called back, half-laughing. As he looked behind him while doing so, he noticed that the sun was beginning to set in the western sky. Because of this, he commanded Geosgaeno to rest at one of the muddy shorelines near the detouring pathways. After many complaints and claiming that he deserved at least two weeks of mobile activity, Geosgaeno finally caved in and came to rest in a cavernous shelter, hidden from view. He switched on his underwater lights in advance of any dangerous predators, and Tidus made the inefficient journey back to his quarters.

"I'm going into the city tomorrow, just so you know," Tidus said to Auron as he swung open his bedroom door. "I'm meeting up with somebody."

"That person is…?" Auron questioned, still watching the dancing flares of the fireplace from his opaque spectacles.

"None of your business," Tidus finished for him, not really meaning to be curtly. He closed the door over and set his sword against the water-patterned walls, then coursed over to his singular grey bed, kicking off his shoes and gloves. He removed the various packs and pockets stitched onto his belt, and noticed a small wafer of his diploma caught between the flaps. Huffing, he took it out, unrolled it, and slapped it against the wall; the watery contents making it stick. Already, he was beginning to get sick of looking at the yellow-tinted piece of paper. Zero in summoning, zero in summoning. That was all that really stood out to him. He crashed his head onto the pillow, his topsy-turvy sight stuck on the window, which displayed the glowing depths of the water.

He did feel a little anxious about tomorrow, now that he had a chance to think about it. Would Yuna remember her sudden request to see him in the city? Would Yuna even remember him? She didn't even specify a time or place. Maybe she had lied just to appear friendly? Then again, she _did_ come looking for him when she could have been benefiting herself, or catching some extra rest. She did also seem to be in a hurry as well, thanks to her friend. Maybe she had just forgotten to set a meeting point?

Even if he didn't get to see Yuna tomorrow, it was at least an excuse to waltz inside Bevelle's walls and see it in all of its glory. He never mustered up the courage to do so. Throughout the last summer weeks, he had just roamed about the oceans in his ship, hiked up the private cliffs and hung out by the docks. He didn't want to create such a ruckus in the local area. He had unwillingly done that many times before in his former hometown, and it left him with a greater longing for privacy and comfort.

Tidus let out a great yawn, and he could feel himself drifting into his sleep as he watched the aquatic light bounce off the rocky outcrop. He wondered if he would have nightmares, or peace. Before his eyes completely closed, he saw a large shadow in the window; the light making the contrast stronger. He abruptly sat up from the chill running down his spine, as he watched the shadow pass by. There was a miniscule amount of sound passing by with the shadow. It sounded like…pyreflies.

"Geos?" Tidus whispered, banging his fist against the wall to get the ship's attention. "Geos!"

"H-huh, wha…? Whaddya want?"

"Do you…see a large fish swimming by? Can you check?"

"…What large fish? All I see is the sun and the sea! Hey, that rhymed!"

"All…right. It's fine. Go back to whatever you do," Tidus hesitated, lying back down on the pillow. By now, the shadow had completely disappeared.

He swore that he saw something swimming by, and if it made an imprint like that, it must have been incredibly close. But if Geosgaeno didn't even notice it, then how come he did? He knew that the ship wasn't one to lie; programming it to do so would be mind-blowingly foolish. He knew it couldn't be the clouds, since they would never create a shadow so sharp and fluid like that. Perhaps it was his drowsiness that was causing him to hallucinate, but a simple lack of energy wouldn't make something that wasn't there…seem so real.

After staring at the refracted walls of the cavern for a little while, Tidus thought it wise to sleep until the morning came. However, he couldn't get that mysterious shadow out of his head.


End file.
